RMcoolX

I took a chance that my dealership would have a new F10 in since it seems that so many other dealerships have theirs now. Sure enough, they had a black one...and I mean ONE! First impression was that I was surprised at how seven-ish it looked. Looks much more like a 7 than it does a 3, so much so that I could hardly tell the difference without looking at the rear badges on some of the 7's. I know that the 5 is smaller than the 7, but it's tough to tell it unless they're side-by-side, at least for me. The magazines and videos don't do the interior justice; it was to die for! On the other hand, the hood appealed to me about as much as the 2010 E90 hood...not at all. There was nothing else special about the exterior, but I think it would look much better with the shadowline and 19in wheels. The salesman finally came out with the keys and we were off. First driving impressions were that it was smooth as silk and quiet as a mouse. I put foot to it on a long open stretch and it immediately rushed up to 80 without a fuss. The tranny seemingly shifted better under hard acceleration versus light, but I didn't like that I could count the (too) quick shifts under light acceleration. Coming from my 335i to this car felt like I had skipped past the 5 and went straight to a 7.

Overall, I must say that I was kind of disappointed. But that's not to say that the car is not worthy of it's place in the BMW line-up. It's just that THAT one did not impress me. Perhaps if it would of had the sports pkg, I would have been more pleased. It lacked what I have came to love as a 3-series owner...a driver's feel. I don't want to feel like I'm "in" the car; I want to feel as if we are ONE!

Enough of that....I next eye-balled some deeply discounted new E60 535i's that were also on the lot. I drove one that had a sports pkg and 54 miles on it. This one gave me the driver's feel that I was accustomed to. Although interior dimensions are nearly identical, it felt smaller inside than the F10; in a good way. The butt dyno tells me that they both accelerated to 80 about the same, but the E60 felt and sounded like it worked a little harder to get there, whereas the F10 did it with the slightest of ease. The E60 outhandled the F10, but I attribute that to the sports pkg that the F10 lacked.

All things being equal, I think that the F10 will be a better car than the E60 when equipped similarly. Today, however, I just had a little more of a warm-n-fuzzy after driving the E60. I don't know if this was because of the ZSP, the less sophisticated/more "down-to-business" E60 tranny, or the $9000 discount off the sticker. Whatever the case, I went ahead and signed on the dotted line for the Alpine White/Black Dakota E60 with a 2.9% finance rate.

Hopefully I made the right decision and won't come to regret it later.

sdg1871

Congrats on your new E60. With the massive trunk money, they are a great buy.

jcool10181

Nice choice but i may be biased though. Congrats!

Munich77

Congrats on the new car and thanks for providing such great feedback. I think the new F10 will be a great car but you cannot go wrong with the E60.

Rick24C

Congrats on your new ride.

I also test drove a F10; however, it was a 550i with ZSP and as you mentioned the interior is top notch. The car was blast to drive.

I currently have a '08 E60 550i with ZSP and it's a great car; however, my lease is up in July. I have a F10 550i on order for European Delivery (July 7th pickup) and can not wait.

Richard in NC

How did the F10 550i ZSP handling and steering feel compared to the '08?

TX535i

I see you're in Houston. Which dealer had the F10? On a related topic, I did the Ultimate Driving Experience in Houston this past weekend so got to drive the 535 there. Was really good to get to really drive the car hard in comparison with others as well.

RMcoolX

Advantage BMW Midtown. If you go there, ask for George H. in new car sales. What were your impressions of the F10? Was it equipped with ZSP?

TX535i

Not equiped with sport. It was just plain. They wanted to be able to compare it apples to apples (or as close as you can get) with the E350 and GS. My impression was really good. Even without sport package it handles so much better than MB or Lexus. Less body roll, tighter steering, better feel. I'm not a professional driver/reviewer by any means, but I really felt like I was in more control of the car than MB, GS, or even my current E60 (non sport as well). Also as far as looks go, it is beautiful in person. In pictures you can stare all day at one particular angle or line and try to find a reason to critique it. In person, you just see the whole car and it looks amazing.

Now keep in mind I went from a 330i with sport (favorite car ever), to a 530i without sport, and now to a 535i without sport, so I'm more of the "daily driver" now.

Rick24C

[quote name='Richard in NC' date='23 May 2010 - 10:29 AM' timestamp='1274628577' post='1178122']
How did the F10 550i ZSP handling and steering feel compared to the '08?
[/quote

Although, I did not get the chance to put the F10 550i through its paces (dealer was very nervous, I guessed he did not want me to become the 1st to smash a F10); the car felt more nimble than my E60. This could be the fact that the F10 has the new electric steering or the fact my E60 550i needs tires.